Monday, August 31, 2009

One should not vote for party, but principle

I consider myself a republican right now, but I could see myself becoming a democrat some day, the same way Ronald Reagan became a Republican. The reason I say this is I don't support any particular party, what I support is the party that is closest to the principles I believe in.

You see, I think over time the parties change. In fact, I know this because history tells no lies. When the country was established the party of Thomas Jefferson was for a limited government. Now, the republican party is the party of limited government.

You see, I will consider myself a member of whatever party that trusts the government the least, and encourages personal accountability. Likewise, I will follow the party that encourages thought and realism as opposed to feelings and idealism.

Right now, the democratic party is up to it's neck in liberalism, which is a philosophy rapt in doing what feels good as opposed to what works, and idealism as opposed to realism. Liberals tend to believe perfection is achievable, when realistically we know it is not attainable -- realism.

The reality is that some people, for obvious reasons, will always be poor, that there will always be bad guys and nations that hate us. In fact, there will always be a reason to fear someone, and always the possiblity of the need for war -- unfortunately. Thus, if we turn a blind eye, they will strike us down hard.

For that reason, liberals tend to strive to create a perfect world where everyone has an equal amount of money, equal healthcare, and opportunity. They also believe that world piece is achievable.

Realists know that there will never be a world where everyone has an equal amount of money, because all governments that try to distribute wealth crash as a result of the thought: "Well, if I'm going to get paid the same for being an RT as I would if I were a doctor, why would I go through all the stress of becoming a doctor?"

You see, realists preach incentives. Idealists teach their ideal ideas that perfection is achievable. And that, my friends, is the basic difference between traditional American thought and liberalism, and the main difference between the present democratic and republican parties.

The modern conservative movement is not in bed with republicans, as there are many conservative democrats. We saw them in the 1980s when they became Reagan Democrats. We see them today as the Bluegrass Democrats who oppose the big government programs of Obama.

It is not about republican and democrat. It's about keeping a level head, being realistic as opposed to idealistic, and supporting one of the two parties that is closest to what America truly stands for: a limited government, power to the people, and incentives to work and achieve.

Thus, it's not about which party do you support, but which party supports the principles you stand for. And one should not vote for a party, but for those principles that hold true for all Americans throughout our storied history.